First period

In the first period, Vegas jumped on the Blackhawks early. Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal to give the Knights an early lead.

Three minutes later, Rasmus Andersson scored his 12th goal of the year and his second with Vegas. Under 30 seconds later, Keegan Kolesar scored the Golden Knights’ third goal of the period.

Very late in the first, Bedard got into a shoving match with Kaedan Korczak.

Connor Bedard still isn’t taking any you-know-what from anyone. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/aAyR8YqEGl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 15, 2026

Second period

In the second period, Vegas tacked on another power-play goal from Dorofeyev. The Knights’ lead was 4-0 after two periods.

Third period

As the period began, it appeared that Artyom Levshunov had gotten the Blackhawks on the board. The scoring play was reviewed. Ultimately the goal was waived off because of a hand pass committed by the Blackhawks.

Midway through the period, Vegas continued to harass Bedard. Jeremy Lauzon delivered a big hit on Bedard, which drew the ire of teammates.

Bertuzzi and Del Mastro jump in after Bedard took a big hit: pic.twitter.com/dMnQafguQB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 15, 2026

Tyler Bertuzzi and Ethan Del Mastro rushed to Bedard’s aid. Del Mastro drew two penalties on the play including  a game misconduct.

Bedard continued to stay fiesty despite the score. Bedard got into a verbal altercation with Mitch Marner in the period. Sadly, Bedard’s feistiness was not enough for the Hawks in this one.

Analysis

The Hawks were not ready for the start of this game. Did the young Hawks have too much fun in Vegas the night before? Either way, this was not an acceptable effort from the Blackhawks. The Hawks have to learn you need a consistent effort in the NHL to win game on a nightly basis.

Scoring goals is still an issue for the Hawks. While Nazar has gotten hot as of late, the team appears to be one goal scorer short on offense. The Hawks need to get more scoring from secondary players to finish out this year.

Reinforcements coming

With the end of Boston University season, it is expected that 2024 draft pick Sacha Boisvert will sign his entry-level contract soon. Once the contract is signed, the expectation is that he will join the Hawks for the duration of the NHL season.

The Hawks’ next game is on St. Patrick Day against the Minnesota Wild on TNT. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks embarrassed by Vegas 4-0 appeared first on The Rink.

Sunday’s victory was powered by a hat trick from Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi has emerged a real leader in Connor Bedard’s absence and is having arguably the best season of his career. Ironcially enough, Bertuzzi’s previous best season came under Jeff Blashill in Detroit.

The victory also broke the Blackawks’ winless streak in back-to-back games this season.

First period

The scoring in this game was started by former Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad. Saad was able to bury a puck loose in front of the Hawks net.

The Hawks tied the game on Bertuzzi’s first goal of the contest.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi rips a shot from the circle to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/NyeaexIjPi

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

The first period ended with the score knotted at 1-1.

Second period

In the second period, Mark Stone scored to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Third period

At just past the midway point, Bertuzzi struck again for the second time.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi jams in his second of the game off a feed from Ryan Greene pic.twitter.com/9TGHstxhzv

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Ryan Greene, who had been denied on several great chances, was able to find Bertuzzi for the second goal.

After several great chances by the Hawks to end the period, this game went to overtime.

Overtime

The Hawks had a great scorong chance when Artyom Leshunov won a board battle. The win sent Ilya Mikheyev and Bertuzzi down the ice. After a near miss, Mikheyev wheeled around the net and found a wide-open Bertuzzi for the winner.

Tyler Bertuzzi OT WINNER FOR THE HAT TRICK! pic.twitter.com/JPnXHuyzgB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Vegas challenged the goal-scoring sequence for offside. Ultimately the goal was upheld for the Blackhawks victory.

Analysis

The Hawks have won three in a row and continue to play excellent for their goalies. While Bertuzzi will get a ton of credit for this victory, we should also recognize the play of Arvid Soderblom. Soderblom denied Colton Sissons on three seperate occassions in this contest. He has gotten really good at stopping 1-on-1 chances.

In addition to Soderblom, Greene continues to get himself in great scoring position. He appears to have at least one A+ chance per game. Hopefully some of those pucks will go in the net.

The offensive hero of the contest, Bertuzzi, has been a godsend for this team. Bertuzzi continues to find ways to help this team out night in and night out. He has really stepped up his offensive game since Bedard’s injury. The Hawks need Bertuzzi and company to continue to play well  before the Olympic break. With Bedard and Frank Nazar still out, the Hawks must continue to ride this wave of positive vibes.

The Hawks’ next game is Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues on TNT at 8:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Bertuzzi powers Blackhawks to victory over Vegas with hat trick appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks had lost five of their last six games, but were coming off a strong comeback against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at the United Center.

First period

It was a “blink and you’ll miss it” beginning to the game. The Golden Knights took the early lead after Ivan Barbashev banked a pass off Wyatt Kaiser 27 seconds into the game.

The lead did not last even a minute. After an effective neutral-zone transition, Frank Nazar found Oliver Moore, who buried a laser above Carter Hart’s right arm to tie the game less than two minutes into the contest.

early equalizer pic.twitter.com/2U5MKr3LRg

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

The remainder of the period contained no goals. Despite this, the Blackhawks got on the power play twice, only managing one combined shot.

The Blackhawks noticeably took control of the game in the second half of the period, leaving Vegas without a shot in the last 7:45 of the period.

The period ended tied at 1-1, with both teams managing eight shots on goal.

Second period

A far more frantic period than the first, both teams netted a goal this period.

The first goal of the period went Chicago’s way. Taking advantage of Hart’s misplay of the puck, Tyler Bertuzzi made an aggressive play to take a 2–1 lead.

ope just gonna sneak past ya there pic.twitter.com/ckFaolbPRn

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

Following Bertuzzi’s goal, Vegas challenged for offside. That challenge failed, leading Chicago to the power play. That power play was quickly ended by a hooking call on Nazar. Both penalties were eventually killed.

Near the end of the period, Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton took a shot that bounced off Chicago defenseman Matt Grzelyck, tying the game and giving Vegas their second goal off of a Blackhawks defenseman.

The period ended at a 2-2 tie, with shots of goal tied at 17.

Third period

The third period gave Connor Bedard one of his best goals of the season. After a breakout pass from Andre Burakovsky, Bedard danced around a Vegas defender and sniped a shot over Hart’s right shoulder to take a 3-2 lead.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness pic.twitter.com/jwIzJUJtF1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

As the game picked up near the end, the Golden Knights refused to go out quietly. On a strong rush to the net, Vegas rookie Braeden Bowman followed his own shot up to tie the game at 3-3, which would hold for the remainder of regulation.

Overtime

It was a classic overtime with chances back and forth. The highlights came from both teams’ goaltenders, especially Hart, who saved six shots in the overtime.

After five minutes of overtime, neither team scored. A shootout would decide the game.

Shootout

The Blackhawks shot first in the shootout, with Teuvo Teravainen being stood up by Hart.

Vegas’s first shooter, Pavel Dorofeyev, succeeded on his attempt on a deceiving backhand on Spencer Knight.

Bedard followed Dorofeyev’s attempt with a beautiful shootout goal, outlasting Hart’s patience.

The next four shooters failed to convert, leaving Shea Theodore the chance to walk it off for Vegas. Like Dorofeyev, he placed a backhand shot passed Knight to end the game. Final score, 4-3 Vegas.

Final thoughts

It was an unfortunate game of unfortunate bounces. Vegas’s first two goals deflected off Blackhawks defensemen. A game where Chicago seemed to control play got away from them at the end.

Notably, the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 on the power play. Chicago never looked comfortable on the power play, with Vegas hounding the puck holder and breaking up neutral-zone entries.

Chicago will look to get back in the win column on Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings at 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: No dice for Chicago in shootout loss in Vegas appeared first on The Rink.

Once again, Ryan Donato rose to the moment, recording his first career hat trick. Sadly, the Donato heroics were not enough to overcome the white-hot Golden Knights.

First period

In the first period, the Hawks’ forwards were buzzing on offense. Pat Maroon had a dangle in the offensive zone. The score remained knotted at 0–0 until Donato broke it open. Donato got a great pass from Ethan Del Mastro to set up the goal.

OH MY GOODNESS RYAN DONATO pic.twitter.com/CN5V8hMY19

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

The Hawks ended the first period up 1–0.

Second period

Vegas responded in the second period. Mark Stone got Vegas on the board with his 19th goal this season. While Spencer Knight has been good, this game was not his best. Stone caught Knight napping for the goal. Vegas scored their second goal on a blown play by Korchinski. The young defenseman was burned at the blue line on a 2-on-1. Victor Olofsson potted the goal. 

Later in the period, Chicago responded with a pair of goals from Donato.

the second goal from Ryan Donato… pic.twitter.com/NzfsKD5dyN

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

Donato did not waste time on the hat trick, scoring his third goal of the night off the ensuing faceoff.

…AND THE THIRD!!!

HATTY FOR DONO pic.twitter.com/PrXhJOXIcg

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

At the end of two period, the Hawks led 3–2.

Third period

While the Hawks were playing well on offense, their defense and goaltending had a rough game. Vegas scored three goals to bury the Hawks. Olofsson added his second to tied the game. Pavel Dorofeyev scored on a Vegas power play to seal the game up. Brett Howden added an empty-netter to make the final 5–3 Vegas. 

Analysis

Despite the outcome, there should be genuine excitement around the Hawks. The Hawks had Korchinski, Connor Bedard, Ethan Del Mastro, Artyom Levshunov, Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert in their lineup. All of these guys are under the age of 23. The fans are finally starting to see the fruit of Kyle Davidson’s labor and more are on the way.

To the game itself, Knight had another tough game. This was third stinker in a row since his hot start. Knight could not be used to seeing this many shots on a nightly basis. Hopefully he will adjust before this season ends.

Donato continued his breakout year. Donato has 28 goals on the season, which is 12 more than his previous career high. He recorded his first NHL hat trick in the game, accounting for all of Chicago’s goals.

Korchinski’s return signaled that the kids are starting to force their way up from Rockford. Despite his relatively poor game, it was great to see him back in the NHL.

The Hawks’ next game is Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Despite Donato’s hat trick, Hawks lose 5–3 to Vegas appeared first on The Rink.

Petr Mrazek started in net and had a fairly good history versus Vegas in his career (5–3–2, 2.74 goals against average, .911 save percentage), but would not replicate that history this evening.

First period

Chicago would fall behind at the 1:06 mark of the game when Keegan Kolesar took a cross-ice feed from forward Brett Howden and fired a slick wrister past Mrazek.

Nick Foligno tied the game at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame, firing a wrist shot past Vegas goaltender Ilya Samsonov for his 12th goal of the season. Foligno found his own rebound and snuck the puck past Samsonov as the netminder sprawled to his right but could not stop Foligno’s second effort.

#17 is right on the money pic.twitter.com/cSqmDQfgiU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

The rest of the period was a complete disaster for the Blackhawks. Vegas would score four straight goals to take a 5–1 lead into the first intermission. Vegas scored two power-play goals when forwards Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl each beat Mrazek. Nicolas Hague and Pavel Dorofeyev each scored at even strength.

The Blackhawks took three penalties in the opening frame as the Golden Knights stayed out of the box and this was the obvious momentum that spurred the four-goal explosion by the home team. Chicago spent much of the first period chasing the puck, even at even strength.

Second period

The Blackhawks regrouped after the first intermission and scored at the 1:01 mark of the middle frame when forward Colton Dach scored his second goal of the season. Dach was rewarded after finishing his check, something the Blackhawks did none of in the first period, and went to the net and tipped home a Frank Nazar shot from the point.

we stand corrected: this goal is Colton Dach’s! https://t.co/K6NpPnhJNb pic.twitter.com/nEKtSdkNfl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

This is prime example of how successful teams win games doing the “little things,” as Dach stepped up to make a play and then was rewarded for going to the front of the net.

Ethan Del Mastro scored at the 5:30 mark of the period for his first career goal as Ryan Donato took the puck to the net and found a pinching Del Mastro, who found himself wide open 30 feet from the net and fired a wrist shot past Samsanov. Del Mastro did an excellent job of reading the play and finding open ice to generate a scoring chance and was rewarded for his efforts.

and what a goal it was pic.twitter.com/6LWadi1cwt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

Kolesar scored at the 13:38 mark to extend the Vegas lead back to four goals at 6–2.

Third period

Chicago jumped out of the intermission again and scored two straight goals to cut the Vegas lead to one goal at 6–5 as forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Philipp Kurashev scored three minutes apart. Mikheyev fired a wrist shot behind Samsanov and Kurashev a snap shot.

Barbashev scored his second of the night at the 15:45 mark of the final period and the Golden Knights would hang on for a 7–5 victory on home ice.

The Blackhawks skate into Anaheim for a 9 p.m. CST puck drop at the Honda Center on Saturday.

Analysis

Chicago does not have the talent to spend half the first period in the penalty box and think they are going to compete with Vegas, and that was evident early on. This Blackhawks would have to play a near-perfect game just to stay in the contest against a far superior Knights team.

Watching Dach make a play on the forecheck and then find himself in front of the net for a screen and tip-in shot is something fans should cherish. This team is not built right now to take the body (even when they do, they are usually late or do not finish the check), so in order for Dach to make that play gives fans something to hold on to as we watch this team struggle to the season’s finish line.

Chicago looks like they are always playing on pins and needles. The offense has been opened up a little bit in the past few weeks to make plays and show their skills but the team as a whole always look like they are one step behind in making plays. That will come with time and confidence, fans hope.

The post RECAP: Vegas fends off Chicago comeback in 7–5 decision in the desert appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas came into this game with a playoff berth clinched. The Knights sat at 96 points coming into this game. That put them one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific and three points behind the Nashville Predators for the top wild card spot.

The Hawks entered this game with similar lines that they put out in their previous game against the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other side, the Golden Knights were playing without Alex Pietrangelo, William Carrier, Chandler Stephenson and Anthony Mantha. 

First period

The first period of this game was a lot of cardio for both teams. Neither team tallied a goal in the opening frame. Both teams had their chances. The Golden Knights had a few rushes that required an impressive stop by Petr Mrazek. The Blackhawks had a few chances, including a power play, but could not convert.

The shots on goal for the first ended in a 11–9 advantage for Vegas. The Knights also won 75% of face-offs in the first, had 10 hits compared to Chicago’s five, and had six blocked shots to Chicago’s five.

Second period

The second period went along in a similar way to the first. Chicago and Vegas had chances throughout the period, but not many of quality.

There was scoring late in this period. After 16 minutes of play, following a shot from the point, Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb found the puck when no one else could and snuck the puck into the net. McNabb was assisted on the goal by Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl. The goal was McNabb’s fourth of the season.

The late-period goal was the only scoring of the period. The Knights held a 1–0 lead over the Hawks following two periods. In the second, the Knights outshot the Hawks 10–5.

Third period

Both teams saved their best for last. The third period finally saw the ice open up, which allowed both teams to score.

The third period scoring was started by the Knights. After a puck battle with Frank Nazar, Michael Amadio created his own fast break. With a laser above Mrazek’s left shoulder, Amadio was able to extend the Knights’ lead to 2–0. The goal was Amadio’s 14th of the season. He was unassisted on his goal.

With only a few minutes left in the game, the Hawks were able avoid the shutout. After a solid pass by Connor Bedard and a tie-up in front of the Vegas net, Jason Dickinson was able to cut the deficit in half. The goal was Dickinson’s 22nd of the season. He was assisted by Bedard and Philipp Kurashev.

With the score at 2–1 with two minutes left in the game, Mrazek was lifted to add another skater for Chicago. The extra skater attempt failed for Chicago, as Nicolas Roy was able to score his 13th of the season to seal the game at 3–1. He was assisted by Jack Eichel and Brett Howden.

Analysis

It was one of those games that reminds everyone what a rebuilding team looks like against a playoff team. Chicago did put up a solid effort for a team locked into second-worst in the league, but Vegas outclassed the Blackhawks throughout. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was the fact that the Hawks were able to score at all.

The Blackhawks’ season finishes in California on Thursday, playing the Los Angeles Kings at 9:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks roll snake eyes, lose 3–1 against Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

The Hawks rolled out the following lines:

Blackhawks in warmups:

Foligno-Bedard-Kurashev
Dickinson-Reichel-Raddysh
T. Johnson-Donato-Perry
Katchouk-Entwistle-R. Johnson

Korchinski-Jones
Vlasic-Murphy
Kaiser-Tinordi

Mrazek
Söderblom

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 27, 2023

The notable change to the lineup was the absence of Andreas Athanasiou. He was healthy scratch for the first time this season.

Head coach Luke Richardson was not happy with the team’s compete level in their last game, so the Blackhawks had their most intense practice of the season on Thursday. Sadly, the practice energy did not translate to a good start for the Blackhawks.

The Golden Knights got on the Hawks early and often. Pavel Dorofeyev got the scoring started for Vegas with the first goal of the game. He got a nice feed from teammate Michal Amadio and put the home side up 1–0. Less than three minutes later, Shea Theodore bombed a shot from the point that was deflected in by William Karlsson for the Knights’ second goal and a quick 2–0 lead.

After chasing the game for more than half of the period, the Hawks got some momentum going with a goal from Ryan Donato. Wyatt Kaiser fired a puck from the point, and Corey Perry was able to get the puck to Donato for the goal.

Ryan Donato beats Adin Hill five-hole and scores his second goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/WnmPumYkXl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 27, 2023

After the Donato goal, Alex Vlasic made a solid play in his own zone to get the puck to Nick Foligno, who was able to poke the puck ahead to a streaking Connor Bedard, who made no mistake in sniping one past Adin Hill for the second time already this season.

Connor Bedard scores his third goal of the season, and what a pass by Nick Foligno to get him the puck. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3SczZMnEms

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 27, 2023

Despite the poor start on the road, the Blackhawks’ response with two goals sent the game to intermission tied at 2–2.

At the start of the second period, Philipp Kurashev was called for hooking. On the penalty kill, Jason Dickinson took a shot off his leg that hobbled him before Petr Mrazek had to make several A-plus saves, including a doozy on Paul Cotter on the doorstep.

With 12:35 left in the period, Vlasic took a high hit and had to be taken back to the locker room. Dickinson did return later in the period while Vlasic remained in the locker room for the rest of the night.

Despite both team trading chances, the score remained tied at 2–2 after 40 minutes.

To start the third period, Theodore whiffed on a puck in his own end, which led to Taylor Raddysh 1-on-1 with Hill. Raddysh was able to beat Hill glove side for the go-ahead goal. It was Raddysh’s second goal of the season.

Shea Theodore fans on the pass, and Taylor Raddysh takes advantage with his second goal of the season.

Chicago leads 3-2 after trailing 2-0 against Vegas. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tCzr4UNW0i

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 28, 2023

After the Hawks were carrying the play, the Knights responded with a goal of their own. Theodore redeemed himself with a laser from the high slot that tied the game at 3–3.

The Blackhawks survived two costly penalties late to get the game to overtime.

In overtime, Bedard drew a penalty to put the visitors on the power play. The Blackhawks’ power play has been abysmal this season, but it capitalized when it mattered most tonight. With Corey Perry camped out in front of the net, Karashev wired a shot past Hill for the Blackhawks’ game-winning goal.

Analysis

The Hawks were punched in the mouth early in this game by the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who had yet to lose this season entering the contest. After chasing the game for more than half of the first period, the Hawks responded with goals from Donato and Bedard. The Hawks are showing their resiliency especially after being called out by Richardson earlier in the week.

Kaiser recorded his first point of his young NHL career with a secondary assist on the Donato tally. While struggling to adjust to the NHL, Kaiser will make a good play and then make several egregious plays to put the Hawks in bad spots. He would benefit from being sent down to Rockford for some more seasoning.

Vlasic left the game after a blind-side hit during the second period. This is a big blow to the Blackhawks because Vlasic was playing the best of their young defensemen. He was having another solid game before the hit. Vlasic most likely will be replaced by Isaak Phillips from Rockford on the roster.

The fourth line was a positive tonight with MacKenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson and Boris Katchouk. They were driving play and generating scoring chances. Kurashev scored the game winner and has been good since his return from an injury.

The Hawks showed some resiliency after playing their worst 10 minutes of the season, and in the end, they turned in one of their best performances of the season. This was a big win for this team.

The Blackhawks’ next game is against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 27 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

After walking the red carpet, the Blackhawks, led by Connor Bedard, got to take the United Center ice for the first time in the regular season.

Blackhawks lineup in warmups
Hall-Bedard-Raddysh
T. Johnson-Reichel-Athanasiou
Foligno-Dickinson-Perry
Katchouk-Donato-R. Johnson

Korchinski-Jones
Vlasic-Murphy
Tinordi-Kaiser

Soderblom
Mrazek

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 21, 2023

In the first home game, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson made some tweaks to line combinations and defensive pairs. He moved Taylor Raddysh to the top line and moved Andreas Athanasiou to the second line. On defense, Richardson split up the top two pairs, moving Kevin Korchinski with Seth Jones while pairing Alex Vlasic with Connor Murphy.

Early in the first period, Vegas were caught with too many men on the ice. After losing the face-off, the Hawks were able to recover the puck. Taylor Hall fed Bedard, who was lurking wide open in the middle of the ice. Bedard wired a shot past Adin Hill for the first goal of the game.

CONNOR BEDARD PUTS THE HAWKS ON THE BOARD FIRST pic.twitter.com/nGec4IyKnq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 22, 2023

Sadly, the Blackhawks’ lead would not last long. Lukas Reichel was called for high sticking against Kaedan Korczak. While on the power play, Vegas able to get the equalizer from William Karlsson.

The Blackhawks’ penalty kill was put to the test in the first period, as they committed two additional penalties in the first period. Despite giving up four penalties, the Blackhawks only surrendered one goal in the period.

The first period ended with the Blackhawks taking four penalties and Vegas committing two of their own. Despite all the penalties, the first period ended with the scored tied at 1–1.

The second period began with Vegas still on the power play from the first period. After killing off the penalty, the Blackhawks got some momentum in the period. Seth Jones made a pass to Hall, who fed Raddysh for a near miss. After Raddysh was denied, the Knights went down the ice and scored the go-ahead goal. Jonathan Marchessault fired a shot that squeaked through Arvid Soderblom.

Vegas’ first lead of the game was short-lived as the Blackhawks’ fourth line responded with a goal of their own to the tie the game. The hardworking Reese Johnson tied the game at 2–2 with a nifty deflection off a point shot.

REESE JOHNSON TIES IT UP pic.twitter.com/4KUaEmvi8Z

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 22, 2023

The second period ended with the score knotted at 2–2.

The third period started with a flash from the Knights. Vegas’ fourth line center Nicolas Roy potted his first goal of the game and Knights’ third goal of the game off the opening face-off. After the Knights’ goal, the Blackhawks struggled to generate any chances 5-on-5 against Vegas.

After the Blackhawks failed to score on their second consecutive power play late in the third period, Michael Amadio drove the net hard with a wraparound attempt that was saved, but Mark Stone put in the rebound for the goal. After the Stone goal, the Knights led 4–2.

With under four minutes left in the third period, the Knights scored their fifth goal of the game, as Paul Cotter beat Soderblom with a great shot. Corey Perry scored a late goal to make it a 5–3 final. It was Perry’s second goal of the season.

Analysis

The Blackhawks rode the energy of the crowd and the goals of Bedard and Johnson to a 2–2 tie for two periods. In the third period, the Knights’ talent and positioning shut the young Hawks team down. With the win, Vegas becomes the first defending champ to win their first six games in regulation in the following season.

Bedard got the scoring starting early with a laser past Hill. It was his first goal at home this season and the best look he has had all season. In addition to Bedard having an electric night, Kevin Korchinski turned in a solid performance. His skating and passing ability was on full display. While not a flashy player, Alex Vlasic is starting to recognized for becoming a solid defenseman.

Sadly, not everyone had a solid night. Wyatt Kaiser turned in another rough performance with several mental mistakes. While Kaiser is still a solid prospect, he would very likely benefit from seasoning at the AHL level, much like Vlasic did. Kaiser was not the only Hawk to have a tough night. Soderblom surrendered three goals in the third period to give up five total on 24 shots.

The Blackhawks are young team but they battled hard. The Hawks will be in a lot of games because of their effort. The Hawks’ next game is Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 21 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

– The first period started off slowly, but the Hawks looked strong in the first few minutes of play, not allowing many chances for Vegas. Then, Keegan Kolesar took a beautiful feed from Nicolas Roy and put it past a diving Mrazek to make the score 1–0 Golden Knights.

– The Blackhawks came back in the frame, though, at the 12:39 mark. Taylor Raddysh blocked a shot, Tyler Johnson made a beautiful pass of the boards and Cole Guttman got a breakaway, beating Laurent Brossoit five hole to tie things up at 1–1. Guttman has looked good so far in his young career. The first period would end in a 1–1 tie game.

– After trading power plays and chances through the first 10+ minutes of the second period, Seth Jones stole a pass that looked like it would lead the Blackhawks to an offensive zone opportunity. Instead, it got turned right back over, with Johnson missing his assignment, and Jack Eichel skating into the right circle, looking pass, but wristing it past Mrazek to give the Golden Knights the 2–1 lead. For once, Jones got left out to dry and could not do anything besides trying to break up the pass, letting Eichel have the clear shot.

– Both teams traded chances throughout the third, with the Blackhawks getting a final power play opportunity to tie it on an Alex Pietrangelo delay-of-game penalty. After a couple of chances throughout the first minute of power play time, Max Domi won the face-off, with Patrick Kane getting the puck across to Johnson, who one-timed it past Brossoit to tie everything up at 2–2 and force overtime.

– In overtime, a missed Pietrangelo pass with 10 seconds left led to a Kane breakaway, and he blasted it past Brossoit to give the Blackhawks the victory. Well, at least it should have, but the goal was waved off as time had expired before the puck had fully crossed the line, meaning the game was headed to the shootout.

– Scoreless through two rounds in the shootout, Jonathan Marchessault missed on his opportunity, giving Johnson the chance to finish it off. He did just that, giving the Blackhawks the shootout victory, and their third win in a row.

The Blackhawks will be in action again on Wednesday night in Texas to face the Dallas Stars. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Feb. 21 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

— Special teams let the Blackhawks down in this contest. Chandler Stephenson scored the game’s first goal on the power play in the first period. In the second period, Reilly Smith extended the lead with a shorthanded goal. In the third period, Phil Kessel scored to make the game 3–0 Vegas.

— The Blackhawks’ lone goal came from Taylor Raddysh on an assist from the rejuvenated Jonathan Toews.

— Smith would add another goal in the third period to make the final score 4–1 Vegas.

The Blackhawks get back at it on Friday against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 7 p.m. CST.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Dec. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

— Goaltender Alex Stalock made 36 saves on 37 shots, which should be more than enough to win. The only goal he gave up was a wicked shot on a 2-on-1. This one is on the Blackhawks’ offense.
— Speaking of offense, the Blackhawks had 27 shots on Vegas goalie Logan Thompson, which should have generated at least one goal. Props to the letfy in the Vegas net.
— The Blackhawks had their chances. Andreas Athanasiou had a breakaway, and there were quality chances from Tyler Johnson, Connor Murphy, Taylor Raddysh, and several others.
— The Blackhawks did not give up any more power-play goals after giving up four the night before in Colorado.
— Chicago led in face-off percentage, this time by a more slim margin at 51%.
— Those baby-poop colored Vegas jerseys stink.

The Blackhawks will have today off to travel to San Jose, California, to face the Sharks on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-Game One-Timers – 10/13 Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

First period

A slow pace to start the game, but after several strong saves by Lankinen, Taylor Raddysh scored his 10th of the season when he skated in and banked the puck off Thompson to give the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead at the 16:01 mark.

how? just how? @Raddy1998 pic.twitter.com/Nkp69UFxAC

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

The Hawks’ lead lasted just 98 seconds, as Michael Amadio scored his 11th of the season to tie it at 1–1. Shea Theodore skated the puck down the slot and found a wide open Amadio nearly parallel to the goal line and to the right of Lankinen and he fired a one-timer into the net.

With one second left in the period, the Hawks regained the lead on Raddysh’s second of the game and 11th of the season. Philipp Kurashev skated into the Vegas zone and made a nice backhand feed to a wide open Sam Lafferty, whose point-blank shot was stopped by Thompson. Lafferty picked up his own rebound and skated behind the Vegas net and fed it to Raddysh on the doorstep to the right of Thompson and took two swats at the puck before it went into the back of the net for a 2–1 Hawks lead.

this guy is rad pic.twitter.com/jQhFI8xlWQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

After one, the Hawks also had a 16–15 lead in shots on goal.

Second period

At 3:57 of the frame, Alec Martinez fired a shot from the point past Lankinen for his third of the season off a face-off win by Chandler Stephenson to tie the game at 2–2.

The offensive flurry continued at the 5:03 mark when Caleb Jones intercepted a clearing attempt by Jack Eichel and skated to the top of the left circle and sniped one over Thompson’s blocker. The Hawks were back on top, 3–2.

It’s a 3-2 game folks pic.twitter.com/VdwzFjtvi8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

Once again, the Golden Knights tied it off a face-off win. Stephenson won another draw cleanly to Max Pacioretty, who fed Brayden McNabb at the point. McNabb’s shot was deflected in by Pacioretty for his 18th of the season at 17:12 to tie it at 3–3.

In the middle period, the Hawks outshot Vegas 11–9 and led 27–24 through 40 minutes.

Third period

Despite playing their second game in as many nights, Vegas looked like the fresher team. While they were not able to break the tie, they had the advantage in both play and shots on goal, 14–8, and held a 38–35 edge in regulation.

Overtime

Each team had its share of chances with the Hawks outshooting Vegas 4–2, bringing the game total to 40–39 in favor of the Knights.

Shootout

It took seven rounds to break through and it was the Hawks’ Tyler Johnson who beat Thompson high blocker side.

pic.twitter.com/FDCMCEMmyp

— HockeyClips (@hockeyclip) April 28, 2022

Amadio had a chance to tie it, but Lankinen, who was stellar for the Hawks, especially in the shootout, made the save to give the Blackhawks a 4–3 shootout win in their home finale and officially end Vegas’ playoff chances.

The good, the bad, the ugly

The good

Caleb Jones: One of his best games of the season, Jones scored a goal on a nice interception of a clearing attempt and made several strong defensive plays.

Taylor Raddysh: He continues to impress since his arrival, but the bigger question might be whether or not he can build on this success next season and beyond. Expectations will certainly be higher following his strong play since arriving ahead of the trade deadline.

The bad

Henrik Borgstrom: He went from being dubbed by Stan Bowman as one of the “best players he’s ever seen in college hockey” to a forward who played just over six minutes in the second to last game of the season for a team with nothing to play for except pride. With roster spots to be had next season, his lack of ice time is not a good sign for his future in Chicago.

The ugly

Face-offs: The Knights had the advantage in face-off winning percentage by a small margin (50.9–49.1), however, this is one where the stats do not really tell the full story. Two defensive zone face-off losses by the Blackhawks led directly to Vegas goals. Assuming Toews returns to the Hawks next season (and it is not a certainty that he will be back), the team will need to develop another player who is reliable in the dot.

Analysis

If this was the final home game for Kane and Toews, they went out as winners. Do not let the players’ comments about a quick rebuild make you think that Kane and Toews are locks to return. That mentality is, in some ways, what got them into this current mess. And last I checked, neither Kane nor Toews are part of the Hawks’ management. Sure, they hold a lot of cards with their no-movement clauses, but those things tend to work themselves out at the right time.

For now, let’s enjoy a solid effort by the Hawks against a team that was fighting for their playoff lives. The Blackhawks play their season finale on Friday night in Buffalo against the Sabres at 6 p.m. CDT on NBCSCH with the radio call on WGN 720.

The post Blackhawks deal Vegas 4–3 shootout loss to end Knights’ playoff hopes appeared first on The Rink.

Saturday’s affair with the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights (23–13–1) provided Knights’ fans with the return of their Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender and franchise icon Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury returned to the Vegas ice with a special video presentation before the game. Fleury mentioned to the press that he felt goose bumps coming back to Vegas.

Fleury tears up after watching video montage from Vegas Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/jO5dP0MPuP

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 9, 2022

Vegas started former Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner in the opposite net. For a fan of good goaltending, this was a fun matchup to get excited about.

Vegas did not waste much time taking the 1–0 lead after center Ryan Carpenter lost a draw in his own end, and defenseman Ben Hutton scored his first goal of the season past Fleury. This is a great place to mention that face-offs do in fact matter in the NHL, contrary to what some would claim. A win at the dot by Chicago does not lead to Vegas getting a shot that found the back of the net. Seems pretty simple.

https://twitter.com/ATTSportsNetRMW/status/1480016887417389056

Chicago’s best highlight was their lack of production in the offensive zone. The visitors were able to go over 12 minutes without a shot on goal. In the Sin City, sleep-walking through the first period is a common issue for visiting teams. Unfortunately, this is from a lack of offensive talent up and down the Bowman-constructed lineup.

In the second period of action, Jujhar Khaira scored in his third game back from injury after beating Lehner blocker side for his third goal of the season. Khaira found a loose puck on his stick just over the Vegas blue line and buried the wrist shot home to tie the game 1–1.

Jujhar Khaira scores his third goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/r7HKubIc7a

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2022

Chicago’s energy and battle for loose pucks were noticeably better in the middle frame. Interim Head Coach Derek King has mentioned on numerous post-game interviews that this team has not played a full 60 minutes of hockey much since he has taken over behind the bench this season, and once again, you can see this in only 30 minutes of action against Vegas.

Not to go unnoticed, King did shake up his first period lines.

With 5:39 left in the second period, defenseman Riley Stillman fired a shot from the left point that deflected off Brett Howden and passed Lehner to give Chicago a 2–1 lead. Having only managed to muster 11 shots to that point, Chicago somehow found themselves on top of Vegas. The goal was Stillman’s first this season.

Riley Stillman gives Chicago its first lead of the night after his shot goes off Brett Howden and in. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ol2z4gBtAP

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2022

Vegas started the third period with the sense of urgency one would expect from the top team in the West, peppering Fleury without any luck into the first commercial break. The Blackhawks needed to show they believe in themselves and understand the importance of executing the small details that help protect a one-goal lead.

Chicago executed a simple plan of making safe exits out of their own zone and playing a solid five-man effort in the defensive zone. Offensively, Chicago got pucks in deep and did well to clog up the neutral zone and not overcommit too deep into the Vegas zone. With this defensive effort, Chicago allowed only six shots on net the final dozen or so minutes.

With Lehner pulled, Vegas could not muster much pressure, and Chicago held on for the one goal victory behind Fleury’s 30-save effort.

Analysis

It was awesome to see Khaira score after his return from a scary concussion.

Stillman found the back of the net after throwing a puck on net. Fans hear it all the time that pucks need to be put on net and good things happen.

How about the sport of hockey? Chicago lost to the worst team in the NHL a few days before winning at the home of the Western Conference’s top team. That is why we come back to watch.

The Blackhawks return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Ohio to face the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 6 p.m. CST puck drop.

The post Fleury comes up aces in return to Vegas as Chicago wins 2–1 appeared first on The Rink.